Election:Jeb Bush to launch Republican presidential bid today

Jeb Bush was ready to launch a Republican presidential bid Monday by asserting his commitment to the "most vulnerable in our society," targeting the broader American electorate even as he faces questions from conservatives in his own party.

Six months after he said he was considering a bid for 2016, the 62-year-old former Florida governor will formally enter the crowded race with a speech and rally near his Florida home at Miami Dade University, selected because it serves a large and diverse student body.

"My core beliefs start with the premise that the most vulnerable in our society should be in the front of the line and not the back," Bush says in a video featuring women, minorities and a disabled child to be aired at the event. "What we need is new leadership that takes conservative principles and applies them so that people can rise up."

No true front-runner

The brother of one president and son of another, Bush has likely raised a record-breaking amount of money to support his candidacy.

But in early public opinion polls, he has yet to break out. While unquestionably one of the top-tier candidates in the Republican race, there is no true front-runner.

Bush has made clear he will remain committed to his core beliefs in the campaign, even if his positions on immigration and education standards are deeply unpopular among his party's conservative base.

"I'm not going to change who I am," Bush said as he wrapped up a week-long European trip this weekend. "I respect people who may not agree with me, but I'm not going to change my views because today someone has a view that's different."

Bush is one of 11 major Republicans in the hunt for the nomination. But few among them entered the race with such a high expectations of success.

Still, his return to politics since leaving the governor's office in 2007 has been underwhelming at times.

Jab at senators

While detailed policy questions are often his strength, he struggled for several days last month to answer a predictable question about the war in Iraq waged by his brother, former president George W. Bush.

The Jeb Bush campaign has unveiled a new logo that features his first name with an exclamation point — Jeb! — a branding decision that conspicuously leaves out the Bush surname.

Bush's team is about to get more aggressive. In his speech Monday, Bush plans to make the case that those involved in creating Washington's problems can't fix them. The point is designed to jab Republican senators — one of them his political protégé in Florida, Marco Rubio — who are also seeking the presidential nomination.

And Bush's fundraising operation is not slowing down.

After touring four early-voting states, he quickly launches a private fundraising tour with stops in at least 11 cities before the end of the month. Two events alone in Washington and New York will account for almost $2 million in new campaign cash, according to invitations that list more than 75 donors committed to raising big money.